NASA launches Artemis II crew on 10-day lunar flyby mission

Why aren't the Artemis II astronauts landing on the Moon?

This mission is a crewed test flight around the Moon rather than a landing mission. Multiple sources say its purpose is to test spacecraft systems and gather information for future lunar missions BBC,BBC.

Who is on the Artemis II crew?

The four astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen T-online.de,BBC,BBC.

How does Artemis II fit into NASA's broader Moon program?

Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission from 2022 and is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to prepare for later missions that return humans to the Moon T-online.de,BBC,BBC.